Folding furniture.



F; BALY.

FOLDING FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20. 1914.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

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F. BALY.

FOLDING FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 19M.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

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FERDINAND BALY, OF SOLDIER, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDING FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, M116.

Application filed April 20, 1914. SeriaI No. 833,084.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND BALY, a subject of the King of Hungary, residing at Soldier, in the county of Jefferson and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in folding furniture.

The primary object of this device is to provide a foldable piece of furniture whereby all of the upright members thereof are hinged for inwardly folding and are retained in their operative positions when desired for use.

A still further object is to provide a folding means for such articles of furniture as chairs and tables, and by which the furniture may be-readily folded up in its knockdown position and easily reassembled in its operative unfolded condition.

A still further object isto provide a selflocking spring hinge for cylindrical members and readily adaptable for foldably mounting the backs and legs of articles of furniture.

With these general objects in view and others that will. appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings forming a part of this application and wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, Figure l is a side elevation of a chair having folding legs and back. Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof showing the chair back and two of its legs moved upon the hinges thereof. Fig. 3 is a per- .spective view of one of the spring hinge members. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the engaging keeper or ring of the other hinge member. Fig.5isalongitudinal central sectional View taken through the hinge and the adjacent portions of the connected members. Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 and illustrating the hinge as partially opened, and, Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view upon line VITIVTTI of Fig. 5.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the chair herein illustrated for setting forth the construction and operation of the invention is provided with the circular chair bottom 10 having four legs, each formed of an upper short section 11 and a longer lower section 12, the said upper and lower sections being hinged together as at 13 by the particular form of hinging devices hereinafter set forth.

The hinge members 13 consist of a pair of tubes or sleeves herein referred to as the upper sleeves 14 and the lower sleeves 15 which are swingingly-mounted upon each other by the pintle or bolt 16 having journaled thereon the projecting lugs 17 formed integral with said sleeves and partially formed by striking out portionsof the sleeves forming openings 18 therein.

The hinging of the chair back and the chair legs being identical, the description of either one thereof will be sufficient herein. The upper leg portions 11 are provided with the upper sleeves 14 encircling the same and having the hinges 13 inwardly positioned for allowing an inward swinging of the legs connected by the said hinges. The lower sleeves 15 receive the lower leg portions 12 while said lower portions are provided with an upper notch 19 for accommodating a spring latch 20 secured as at 21 interiorly of the sleeve 15 and between said sleeve and within the notch 19 while the upper end of said latch extends outwardly from said notch and is provided with a terminal hook 22 having an inclined outer surface 23. The sleeve 15 has a perforation 24 therein for receiving therethrough the push pin 25 mounted upon the latch 20 and designed for moving said latch for disengaging the same.

The upper sleeve 14 of each hinge mem her is provided with an annular keeper 26 secured in the lower end thereof by means of a pin through the opening 27 of the sleeve while said keeper projects from the lower end of the sleeve 14 and is adapted for reception in the upper end of the lower sleeve 15 when the hinge member is closed and with the adjacent end faces of the hinged sleeves in contact with each other and in which position the hook 22 will engage over the lug 28 at the upper edge of the keeper 26. The latch face 23 is adapted to slide over the inclined face 29 of the said ing in the closing operation of the hinge and to thereby automatically engage above the said lug, it being noted that the upper portions 11 which carry the upper sleeve 14 are provided with recesses 30 for the accommodation of the latch heads 22 in their operative movements.

It will be seen that the form of spring hinge members herein described is adaptable alike for the chair legs and the chair back 31 and whereby the chair backis adapted to fold over in contact with the upper surface of the chair bottom 10 when in its closed position while the lower leg portions 12 fold inwardly beneath the chair bottom to substantially horizontal positions and be neath a bracing ring 32 positioned beneath the chair bottom and substantially parallel therewith and secured between the upper sleeves 14. y

The folding and unfolding of the chair back and legs will beat once apparent from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it being seen that in their unfolded opened operative positions, the latch rigidly maintains the same while the latches are released by an inward pressure exerted upon the pins 25 and the swinging members are then readily placed in their folded positions with the chair in its knock-down condition; It will be evident that the present device is equally applicable to a table structure for the purpose of foldingly hinging the table legs beneath the table top.

WVhile the forms of the invention herein shown and described are what are believed to be preferable embodiments thereof, it is nevertheless to be understood that various forms and modifications may beresorted to which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

lVha't I claim as new is A hinged connection for folding articles of furniture comprising a sleeve adapted to fit on one portion of the furniture and pro vided with projecting hinged lugs, a second sleeve cooperating therewith and adapted to fit on an adjacent portion of the furniture and provided with a hinged lug cooperatw'ith the lugs on the first sleeve, a pintle extending through said lugs, a spring latch carried by the first sleeve and having a releasing pin projecting through the sleeve, the latch being positioned opposite the pintle, and a lipjcarried by the second sleeve cooperating with the latch when the sleeves are alined.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FERDINAND BALY.

Witnesses:

Copies ofthis patent may be obtained for live cents each, By addressing the Commissioner 01' Patents. Washin ton, D. c." 

